UV irradiation can induce in vitro clonal anergy in alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

The alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) were generated by coculturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with allogeneic Sa cells (an Epstein-Barr virus [EBV]-transformed B-cell line). The CTL did not proliferate in response to UV-B-irradiated Sa cells unless exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2) was present, although they could kill the UV-B-irradiated Sa cells. The results indicate that UV-B-irradiated Sa cells do not provide sufficient signals for the proliferation of the CTL while they can be recognized by CTL and induce high-affinity IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression on them. The alloreactive CTL could be rendered anergic by previous exposure to UV-B-irradiated Sa cells. The alloreactive CTL previously stimulated with UV-B-irradiated Sa cells failed to proliferate in response to nontreated Sa cells. Proliferation of the anergic CTL could not be restored by Sa cells and exogenous IL-2 but by the combination of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and calcium ionophore (A23187). The anergic CTL showed a considerably low cytotoxic activity against Sa target cells. The expression of TCR on the anergic CTL was downregulated while expression of high-affinity IL-2R was upregulated. Their CD28 and CD8 expression were unchanged. In addition, the proliferative response and cytotoxicity of the anergic CTL to Sa cells could be restored after the cells had been rested for 7 days to allow reexpression of TCR. These results suggest that downregulation of T-cell receptor (TCR) and impairment in the post-IL-2/IL-2R signaling pathway are relevant to the clonal anergy induced in the alloreactive CTL by stimulation of UV-B-irradiated Sa cells.